[Soot and Stars]

To all you guys who met Billy! Lucky bastards!

'89 to '91 The Road to a Debut



It was 1989, when the Pumpkins started to record songs that would start an era of the Smashing Pumpkins by appearing on their first major c.d.! It would also end an era as these songs would be the last that captured the Pumpkins in their psychedelic groove. These sessions would produce what is known as the Gish Basement Tape. This session was shopped to labels and many of the songs eventually appeared on the Lull EP and Gish album in one version or another. The songs that were first recorded in these tapes were:

Blue (later on Pisces Iscariot collection)
Bury Me (later on Gish)
Bye June (later on Lull)
Daydream (later on Gish)
I Am One (later on Gish)
Rhinocerous (later on Gish, 2 versions made)

Other songs were released on rare promotional and compilation disc. This was a monumental time as The Pumpkins were recording music that would get them out of the underground and would push them into the consciousness of music history as a band that was meant to create a legacy.



Here are the songs that came out on those tapes that never made it to the big one two punch of the Lull/Gish releases!

Daughter
(really slow droll groove to this song)


Honeyspider
(another slow burner)


Honeyspider II
(an alternate version, vocals have less of a drag and more clarity in this one which I like)


Not Worth Asking
(more upbeat for these sessions)


C'mon
(could only find live version but what a f-ing jam, love the drums at the 3 min. mark and everything after)


Egg
(awesome acoustic track that stands out from the rest of the session)


Love
(not the Melloncollie song, way groovier, great outro at 3:15)


Psychodelic
(really cool vocals with some faint harmonizing)


Snap (If I Could)
(like the darker tone to this)


Stars Fall In
(Love the different tone in Billy's vocals and the cheery whooing chorus)


With You
(another acoustic)


Cinnamon Girl
(Awesome Neil Young cover)